Mr Aitken, 60, who has undergone a Damascene conversion since being jailed for 18 months for perjury and perverting the course of justice three years ago, is to marry for the second time in the summer.

The former privy councillor and Mrs Harris, whose previous husbands also include Mr Aitken's cousin Peter, began a relationship nine months ago after rekindling an old romance.

Mr Aitken's children, his former wife of 19 years, Lolicia, and Mrs Harris's three sons were pleased with the couple's engagement, while the late Richard Harris had also given his blessing before he died in October, he said.

"I became very fond of Richard before he died. He gave our romance a full and enthusiastic blessing.

"He was very, very positive about it and told his sons. My own ex-wife is also happy for us," he said. Asked if the relationship was better the second time around, Mr Aitken replied: "I don't know - it just feels wonderful."

He added that he had no plans to get married after divorcing Lolicia, but it had all started when he was reunited with Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Ogmore, who runs a public relations company.

"I made the proposal at Elizabeth's flat because the restaurant we were in was so noisy. We were at Annabels [nightclub] and I planned to do it there but we couldn't hear ourselves think."

Mrs Harris, who had three sons with the Hollywood actor before they divorced in 1968, said: "Receiving the proposal wasn't really a surprise. I had an inkling but it was still fabulous."

Mr Aitken was declared bankrupt after the collapse of his libel case against the Guardian and Granada Television when it emerged he had lied in the witness box and persuaded his then wife and teenage daughter to support his false story.